


Masquerade

by slytheringurrl



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Remix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2018-02-19 01:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2369342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytheringurrl/pseuds/slytheringurrl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm a lawyer; I try not to break the rules, but I did. All of the people I interviewed were smart, probably just as smart as you, but shockingly, they had larger egos than you do.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Masquerade

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Suits](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/75482) by USA Network. 



> This is my (hopefully decent) attempt to merge a few of my favourite things: Suits, Dramione, and Lawyers. I have barely any knowledge on legal things and my wonderful beta, mccargi, was a live saver and fixed my legal lingo and made everything sound much better than it really was :) Also, I'd like to thank withdrawnred for reading over my fic and giving me some con-crit. The fic's still not perfect but it probably would've been a lot worse without these two amazing people!
> 
> My remixed couple was Rachel/Mike!

Hermione Granger rushed into a tall building marked "Goldstein Zabini", holding a cup of tea in one hand and a large stack of files in another. She almost dropped her drink as she narrowly avoided crashing into an associate.  _Wake up!_  she told herself sternly as she made her way over to her boss' office. It was too early in the day to listen to another one of Marcus' lectures.  
  
"You're finally here," Marcus said with a groan, as Hermione stumbled into his office five minutes later. "Would it kill you to be early for once?"  
  
"Don't even get me started," Hermione warned. "The work day starts at eight." She glanced at her wrist and tapped the face of her watch. "It's seven thirty so just calm down."  
  
"Sorry," he replied unapologetically. "Can you give the Merriweather file to Parvati?"  
  
"Sure." She moved to walk out of the room but then, she turned back. "What's going on with you?" she asked curiously. "What got stuck up your arse?"  
  
Marcus let out a sigh. "I don’t even want to talk about it. I hate working with associates. Now, go do your job," he snapped.  
  
\---  
  
"So, I heard there's a new person joining." Hermione handed Parvati the file. "Is Marcus actually hiring an associate?"  
  
Parvati nodded excitedly with a grin plastered across her face. "Well, he was forced to hire someone, but I've heard that the new guy is pretty interesting."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm not dating anyone from the office. That would just be more trouble than I'd ever want." She gestured towards the file. "Make sure Marcus gets that, okay? It took a long time to find that information."  
  
"You know I would never forget. I am the  _best_  legal secretary to ever work in this building."  
  
"Sure Parvati, you're definitely the best," Hermione agreed with a smile on her face. "Just like I'm the best junior partner the firm has."  
  
Parvati shot her friend a glare. "Are you being sarcastic?"  
  
Hermione shrugged with a small smile. "Maybe." Laughing, she walked away before Parvati could make another retort.  
  
\---  
  
Draco Malfoy walked toward the tall building, which, frankly, looked very out-of-place in Diagon Alley. Was he even making the right decision? He didn't want this job; however, since he was the last person Marcus should be hiring, he'd be losing much more than his integrity if he didn't go inside and that was too much to risk. He needed this job and he wasn't about to give it up just because he didn't feel comfortable.  
  
"Good, you're here," Marcus Flint greeted Draco, as he waved the blond into his office a few minutes later. "I wasn’t sure you would actually show up."  
  
"You knew I would," the blond muttered. "So, here I am."  
  
"You're here, but you better watch your back," Marcus cautioned. "I shouldn't have hired you, but I did. You barely have a Hogwarts degree, let alone a degree from Brookston."  
  
Draco shook his head. "I can leave," he told Marcus. "When I accepted this job, I thought it would be more of an administrative thing. Not a façade, where I pretend to be something I'm not. I don't have a degree from this college and I never will. Maybe you don't think I'm smart enough, but I can get a job without your help."  
  
"First off, I never said you were stupid. Second, Brookston University isn't just any school. It's the top-most Wizarding law school in Europe. We're the best, and Brookston is known for producing the best lawyers. You connect the dots."  
  
"So, why'd you hire me if these guys are so good?"  
  
The other man frowned. He wasn't sure why he had decided to hire Draco, but something just seemed  _right_  about hiring the young man. "You were in trouble," he finally said. "I, for some odd reason, wanted to help you." He looked pointedly at Draco. "When I told you that I'd give you a job, I never intended to put you in this position. I was just going to offer you an administrative job. But, when I was interviewing potential associates, I thought about you." He shrugged. "I'm a lawyer; I try not to break the rules, but I did. All of the people I interviewed were smart, probably just as smart as you, but shockingly, they had larger egos than you do.”  
  
Draco nodded quickly. "Are you sure this is worth it?" he asked once again. "You know that I have a pretty bad reputation around England."  
  
"I don't make mistakes. Trust me, it'll be fine. Worst comes to worst, you'll get demoted."  
  
For some reason, Draco accepted the words that came out of the other man's mouth, even though they seemed like utter bullshit.  
  
"I don't know a lot about law," he said. "Your judgement seems so screwed up."  
  
Marcus let out a laugh. "It probably is," he agreed "but, I'm offering you the best opportunity of your life. Take it or leave it; I don't really care." He held out his hands and looked at Draco. "Yes, this is a risk for both you and me, but I saw you at Hogwarts. You are very smart, but now, you can't reach your potential. I'll help you do that."  
  
"Okay," he finally agreed. "I'll do this." Marcus grinned and Draco couldn't help but smile back. This whole scheme was insane but what could go wrong? Even if something went wrong, Draco was already a criminal in the public's eye. This would just be the icing on the cake.  
  
\---  
  
"Marcus hired Draco Malfoy? What the hell is he thinking?" Hermione asked, gesturing wildly with her hands. "Draco Malfoy hasn't been seen in years, and now he suddenly shows up again?"  
  
"It is odd, but he seems like a good fit for the job," Parvati admitted. "Besides, like I said before, he's cute. If anything, he's gotten cuter since Hogwarts. We all know that Marcus has high standards and if he's hired someone, they're bound to be decent employees."  
  
"Shut up!" Hermione groaned. "I still don't get why Marcus hired him of all people. Does he even have a degree from Brookston?"  
  
"He was gone for a few years," the other woman pointed out. "He probably got his degree then. I'm personally not sure but I'm sure someone in our year would know."  
  
Hermione pursed her lips thoughtfully. "You're probably right," she finally agreed. "I'm just going to pretend that I don't know him at all."  
  
"Good," Parvati said, "because you're the one who gets to take him on the official tour. I told you – you shouldn't have volunteered."  
  
Hermione let out a groan. "Hindsight is always twenty-twenty," she admitted. The month before, she had put her name down to be one of the people that led new employees on the introductory tour, even though paralegals usually did things like that. Then, she thought it would be a good way to meet the new associates but now, it didn't seem like a great idea.  
  
Parvati then pushed a pile of papers towards the other woman with a smirk. "Here, Marcus wants you to look at this case. It's a nasty divorce, and we all know that you're probably the only one here with a heart. You should take it."  
  
"I'll look into the case but if I don't like it, I'm giving it back," she said with a scowl but reached out to take the papers anyway. "Is he trying to make my day miserable?" she asked under her breath as she left to go find Malfoy.  
  
\---  
  
"Draco Malfoy." Hermione extended her hand. "Hermione Granger. Welcome to Goldstein Zabini. I'm a junior partner at the firm and, I'll be showing you around today. I don't really want to deal with you, but, unfortunately, I really don't have a choice.  
Hermione Granger. Draco never thought he'd have to see the know-it-all again. He took her hand and shook it firmly. "Nice to see you too, Granger," he said sarcastically. "Let's get started." He then took a moment to rake his eyes over her body. Age definitely helped her out, even though her hair still looked a bit bushy.  
  
"I don't share the same sentiments," Hermione muttered with a sniff. "Okay," she started, pointing to Marcus' office. "As you know, that's Marcus. You'll always report to him first, but you also get the pleasure of reporting to our in-house arsehole, Cormac McLaggen. None of us are sure how he got to be a senior partner, but he's in charge of the associates."  
  
"He was a Gryffindor, right?" Draco asked, shooting a smirk in her direction. "Aren't you all supposed to love each other or something?"  
  
"Or something. Nobody can love Cormac. Let's just leave it at that." She led him through the office, pointing out various things until they got to a big, open room. "This," she said, gesturing around the room, "is the law library. Get to know it since it's going to be your best friend along with the file room, which we'll see next."  
  
"I guess you spend a lot of time in here," Draco pointed out, smiling slightly. "You practically lived in the library during Hogwarts."  
  
She shrugged. "I'm good at research; I'm also the head of the research division, so I spend a good deal of time in here."  
  
"Okay then, let's see the file room."  
  
Hermione grinned. "Don't get so excited; you'll hate the file room," she promised. "Once Cormac made all the associates arrange and clean the room, and let's just say that he received a lot of Howlers after that. Speaking of which, here we are." She pushed open the door. "Voilà!"  
  
Draco just gaped at the sheer number of filing boxes stacked up on the rows of shelves. "How does anyone find anything in here?" he wondered aloud. "It looks like a fortress of boxes and paper!"  
  
"Well, you'll be in here a lot for Marcus. If there's one thing he hates, it’s paperwork. I worked with him for about a month, and I was filing all sorts of paperwork, most of it things that I hadn’t dealt with since the first year of law school, like subpoenas and other motions."  
  
Draco nodded. "I guess I need to brush up on some things," he joked. In reality, he was freaking out. What the hell was a subpoena?  
  
"You probably do," she agreed. "This is the end of the tour. If you have any questions, whatsoever, just find one of the partners."  
  
"Sure, I'll keep that in mind." Draco rubbed his forehead wearily after she had left him in the filing room. How was he supposed to know things from law school if he had never actually been there? One thing was for sure, he was undeniably in for a long journey.  
  
\---  
  
Draco ran his hands over the pine desk in his cubicle. Surprisingly, even the associates had nice accommodations at Goldstein Zabini. He figured that he'd have a cubicle tucked in some corner area, but this was a lot better than what he'd seen at the Ministry of Magic when he was younger. He sighed. He shouldn't have come back. Everyone knew him as Draco Malfoy, Death Eater and even though he'd been gone for over five years, people tended not to forget the people who had caused hundreds of innocent people to die.  
  
"I need you to do something for me." Draco looked up to see Marcus leaning against the wall of his cubicle.  
  
"What do you need?"  
  
"We have a case," he replied. "You're going to come and observe. Hopefully, that'll make up for your lack of training in this field."  
  
\---  
  
"Don't even think about opening your mouth," Marcus advised, as he and Draco walked into the Wizengamot's courtroom. "All the people here are just a little crazy. They hate lawyers since we make their life difficult, so just ignore their rude comments and you'll be fine."  
  
Draco looked at Marcus sceptically. "Maybe I need a cover story before we just waltz in there. Everyone knows who I am, Marcus."  
  
Marcus rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. Who knew Draco Malfoy could ever be this paranoid? "Just – don't say anything."  
  
They both walked in and took a seat in front of the partial Wizengamot board, which consisted of 20 people. Marcus whispered to his client, while Draco looked around curiously. So this was how the courtroom looked. When he was 'put on trial' for being a Death Eater, all the trials had taken place in the dungeons, which were a few floors below the courtrooms, so he'd never had the chance to see where the actual hearings were held.  
  
"State your name and position," the head of the board said, glaring at Marcus. "Let's get this over quickly."  
  
"Marcus Flint. Lawyer, Goldstein Zabini," he said quickly. "I’m here as legal counsel for the accused. My client admits to selling counterfeit Hogwarts textbooks and illegally printing copyrighted material owned by the writers of the textbooks. However, we find the pending sentence of time served in Azkaban disproportionate to the severity of the crime and would like to request that alternate punishment be considered."  
  
"Why should we not send him to Azkaban?"  
  
"Think of the children!" Marcus said, staring right at the tiny brunette woman in the third row, who looked like she might have children. "Every child deserves to have a proper education, and, due to the war, not everyone can afford to purchase books at Flourish and Blotts." He gestured to his client. "My client is doing the country a favour. Additionally, according to the English Wizarding Law, so long as the books cannot be considered, in any way harmful, they can be sold by anyone. Hogwarts books are perfectly safe, right? Yes, the printing is illegal but selling the books is not illegal in any way, shape, or form according to the law."  
  
Draco just watched Marcus exchange points and counterpoints with the board until, finally, he emerged victorious. The Wizengamot ruled that the man could not be sent to Azkaban for such a small crime. He had gotten fined quite heavily but that was to be expected. Marcus was a good lawyer, Draco realized. However, that didn’t change the fact that he was definitely cocky and irritating.  
  
\---  
  
"We need to have an important conversation," Marcus told his secretary the next morning as he placed a mug of tea on her desk.  
  
Parvati set her quill aside and raised her eyebrows. "Should I be worried?" She took the cup of tea and peered inside. "You're discretely bribing me. What's going on?"  
  
"Let's talk inside." Once they were settled in his office, Marcus began his story. He told her about Draco, and how he had agreed to let Draco work for him illegally. At the end, he finally made eye contact with her, and saw Parvati shaking her head, eyes wide open.  
  
"He's not a lawyer?" She gaped at Marcus. "I can't believe you actually offered him a job, even though you knew that you were breaking the rules!"  
  
"I think he has a lot of potential," the older man admitted. "I interviewed a lot of people that day, and Draco seemed like the only person there who'd actually appreciate having a job at a top law firm. I know that he didn't apply for the position and all those kids from Brookston are probably more qualified than Draco. Honestly, I just wanted to give him a chance." Marcus shrugged. "If Goldstein and Blaise hadn't offered me a job, I would've been living on the streets. I had talked to Draco before the interviews, and I figured that I could help him."  
  
"Isn't it a risk?"  
  
He shrugged. "This will only be a problem if we get caught. I trust you, Parvati, and I know that you won't tell anyone. But, I need you to make sure that nobody finds out."  
  
"Okay. What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Get in touch with your contacts. I need to you to see if you can get Draco's name into the records at Brookston or at least edit his résumé a little. Bribe someone if you have to but get it done."  
  
Parvati looked at her boss sceptically. "This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about," she muttered. "He's not from the middle of nowhere. People might be able to connect the dots."  
  
"Just work your magic, Parvati."  
  
"Okay," she finally agreed with a grimace. "I'll do my best, but I'm not promising anything."  
  
\----  
  
That afternoon, Marcus dragged Draco to visit another client, and he was happy to see Draco slowly picking up the legal lingo. Unlike the trial, Draco had fewer questions.  
  
"Have you been reading?" Marcus asked as they exited the client's office. "You sounded more like a lawyer."  
  
Draco nodded. "Just a little," he admitted. "I figured it would be useful. I bought about ten books, so I'll slowly go through them all."  
  
"Good," Marcus replied briskly. "I need you to file this paperwork, all right?" Marcus handed Draco a file. "It better be done by 6:00. I also need you to do some research for me. Hermione Granger can help you with that."  
  
Draco flipped through the paperwork and couldn't see anything he recognized. "I don’t know how to file this," he said. "You do remember that I never actually went to law school, right?"  
  
"I do remember," the other man replied. "Figure it out. Prove to me that you're actually worthy of this job."  
  
Draco just gawked as Marcus walked back to his office. How was he supposed to just 'figure it out' when he didn't even know  _what_  he was filing? He glanced at the paperwork again. Maybe Granger would help him.  
  
"I need help," he announced after he found the brunette in her office, intently working. "I know that we learned this at school, but how do I submit and file this thing?"  
  
Hermione reached for the file and scanned it quickly. "This is a simple NDA," she said. "Just fill out the information, and then I'll tell you how we file these. As you know, every firm has their own way of doing things, and ours isn't very complicated."  
  
"Thank you so much," he said gratefully. "I slacked off a bit my first year," he lied easily as he attempted to cover up the gaps in his skills. "I don't think I remember anything from back then."  
  
"It happens to everyone. Don't worry about it."  
  
"So, how'd you even get into law?" he asked curiously as he worked on filling out the form. "I always thought that you'd become an Auror with Potter and Weasley."  
  
"I went into Brookston right after the war. I was going to be an Auror, but Anthony convinced me to come to law school with him, and it seemed like a good way to forget about the war."  
  
"Why aren't you a senior partner then?" he asked curiously.  
  
"I took two years off after my first year. That's why I'm behind everyone else. It took me five years to get my degree, but, you probably don't want to hear about all this," she muttered.  
  
He shrugged. "It's okay. Now, you've intrigued me." He was truly curious. Hermione Granger was a very dedicated person and she wasn't the type to just not come to school for two years.  
  
"You should probably get that filing done or else Marcus will be pretty mad," she told him.  
  
Draco shot a joking glare at her. "You can't share that kind of information and not go into detail," he replied.  
  
"I looked for my parents," she finally said after a moment. "After I found them, there were things I needed to deal with."  
  
Draco could sense that she didn't want to go into detail, so he slowly backed off. He glanced at Hermione, who was reading again and smiled. Surprisingly, goody two-shoes Granger wasn't so bad after all.  
  
\---  
  
Marcus walked up to Draco's cubicle and tapped on the wood to get the younger man's attention. "Did you file the NDA?" he asked.  
  
"I actually did," he replied proudly. "I asked Granger for help."  
  
"You were subtle, right? I hope that she doesn't know anything."  
  
"Trust me," Draco said. "She doesn't know anything, and she won't."  
  
Marcus sighed. "Okay, but I put my arse on the line for you. Don't wreck it by sharing all your secrets with someone."  
  
\----  
  
Two months passed quickly, and Draco was easily sucked into the world of law. It seemed like he was either at the Wizengamot or at the office all day long, but he was having a great time working. Maybe he was suited to be a lawyer. Catching up on Wizarding law took him about a month; he hadn't been tenth in his class for nothing. He was no Hermione Granger or Anthony Goldstein, but he processed information well, too. Even now, he still had a lot of gaps to fill, but this new life was an improvement from what he was doing before.  
  
_Draco raised his hand and signalled the bartender for another glass of whatever he was drinking. The only perk about being in Muggle London around four in the morning was that you could get drunk on whatever you wanted and nobody would give a shit whatsoever.  
  
"You've resorted to getting drunk at these types of shady bars?" a voice asked, and Draco turned to see his old Slytherin mentor, Marcus Flint, staring down at him with a scowl on his face.  
  
"Well, you're here also, right?" Draco pointed out. "You're a bit of a hypocrite."  
  
"Maybe I am," the other man admitted, "but I just had the shittiest day, and I deserve this drink." Then, he called over the bartender and asked for a glass of scotch, neat.  
  
"What do you do anyway?"  
  
"I'm a lawyer," Marcus answered as he downed his scotch in one gulp. "I lost a case today, and I may lose an important client."  
  
"You're lucky, you know that?" Draco shook his head sadly. "I've been hiding away for five years, and when I make an occasional run into Diagon Alley, I still hear people talking about the war. You left, didn't you?"  
  
Marcus nodded. "I paid my way into Wizarding law school. My parents didn't want me to join Voldemort, even though they didn't like Muggles. My grades were horrendous at Hogwarts, but law somehow worked out for me."  
  
"How'd you get hired?" Draco asked curiously. "Nobody wanted to hire Slytherins in general. Of course, many still don't."  
  
Marcus smiled wryly. "Oh, nobody did hire me for a while. I thought that my law degree was wasted. Then, three years later, Zabini and Goldstein from your year started a firm together: Goldstein Zabini. They agreed to hire me under the condition that I wouldn't get myself into any unnecessary trouble." '  
  
"Do you think I could do it?"  
  
"You're filled with questions, aren't you? You could do it. You're smart, Draco; you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Marcus sighed. Draco Malfoy was a complete bastard when he was younger, but now, he couldn't help but feel bad for the kid. Draco hadn't done anything wrong – he had only picked the losing side in a battle that had already been won. "Tell you what, if there's ever an opening in the firm, I'll let you know. We always need people in lower-level jobs."_  
  
Draco had never thought that Marcus would ever actually contact him after that night, but here he was, actually having a job and a life as opposed to wasting his days away doing nothing. He never thought that Marcus would want to hire him as a lawyer but he'd gladly take any job. Before, Draco had been accomplishing next to nothing. He'd been shagging every available woman and getting drunk every night. This was a good change for him. He was hardly drinking and, even though his sleep had decreased immensely, focusing on some goal was better than wasting away.  
  
\---  
  
Marcus looked out the window of his office at the bustling streets of Diagon Alley and he smiled a little when he saw the young children who were shopping to return to Hogwarts. They were so lucky and they didn't even know why. The Wizarding War had wrecked so many innocent lives, and prejudice hadn't disappeared one bit. The only change was that, now, purebloods with ties to Voldemort weren't accepted into society.  
  
"I don't want to hire an associate!" he yelled at Blaise. "I work just fine alone. Do I really need a lackey to hang around and idolize me?"  
  
Blaise sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly. "Come on, Marcus. You've been senior partner for six months now. It's a policy that all of the other partners followed and we expected you to do the same. .."  
  
"So, I don't have a say in this?"  
  
"No, you don't."  
  
"Fine," Marcus replied angrily as he pushed open the door. "I'll get a damn associate."  
  
"Parvati!" he shouted, as he snapped his fingers in front of his assistant when he returned to his office. "Wake up!"  
  
"Okay, what got stuck up your arse?" she asked him. "I was just resting my eyes. Either way, I'm on my lunch break so don't bother me."  
  
"I don't care," he snapped. "You're back at work now. I need you to set up a recruitment seminar. I'm being forced to hire an associate."  
  
"Is there no way to get out of it?" she asked him with a sympathetic look. "Between the both of us, you're doing just fine, right?"  
  
Marcus just shrugged. "Blaise and Anthony wouldn't take no for an answer, so I have to hire someone."  
  
\---  
  
"All of these applicants are complete idiots," Marcus complained to Parvati two days later. "None of them are good enough to work with me." He flipped through yet another file and grimaced. "I can't hire these people. They're all so fake.  
  
"What do you want me to do about that?" she muttered. "I can't control who comes in here for a job."  
  
"No, you can't. But, we're done interviewing," he decided. "I know someone who would make a great associate. He'll be here starting Monday."  
  
"These people are professionals, Marcus," Parvati repeated. "Yes, they are pompous jerks, but they know what they are doing. Also, it's not a good sign that the guy you want to hire hasn't come for an interview."  
  
"Just believe me," Marcus replied. "I trust my judgement and I'm rarely wrong. Sure, on paper, this guy is all wrong but I want someone who’s going to listen to every word that I say. All these interviewees – they're leaders, not followers. I need a follower to work for me and I know a guy."  
  
"It's your decision," Parvati finally said after a moment. She shut her notebook shut and stood up. "So, are we done?"  
  
"We're done."  
  
\---  
  
"Why am I here?" Draco asked Marcus, as he sat across from him in the Leaky Cauldron the next evening.  
  
"I want you to work for me as my legal associate."  
  
"You're offering me a job as a lawyer, even though I don’t have any kind of degree?" Draco looked at Marcus sceptically. "Are you even allowed to do that? I know that the last time we met, you said that you’d look into something for me, but you don't have to feel obligated."  
  
"Well, I'm offering you it anyway. You'll get 12,000 galleons plus a 2,500-galleon bonus at the end of the year."  
  
Draco shook his head. "I'm not a lawyer, Marcus. I researched a little about your firm after our last meeting. You only hire the best, and I'm nothing. I can't do that."  
  
"Trust me, everything will be fine."  
  
Draco sighed. He was already a former Death Eater, pretending to be a lawyer couldn't be any worse than the crimes he had already committed. "Okay. I'll take the job." After all, what else could go wrong?  
  
\---  
  
Draco sighed when he saw the stack of briefs sitting on his desk when he walked into to work one morning. He grabbed the stack and made his way to Marcus' office.  
  
"Is this all for me?" he asked sarcastically. "You shouldn't have."  
  
Marcus just shot his associate a grin. "That's why I'm Senior Partner. I don't have to read those anymore."  
  
Draco just rolled his eyes. "I'll be in the library if you need me," he said, making his way out the door. When he walked into the library, his mood improved marginally when he saw Granger sitting in the corner, biro in her mouth and curls astray.  
  
"Hey," he whispered, sinking into the chair next to her. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Researching something for Cormac," she replied with a groan. "He's such an ass. Technically, I make the paralegals find the actual information for large cases like these but no, that's not good enough for Cormac."  
  
"Why didn't you just say no?"  
  
Hermione cocked an eyebrow. "You're funny," she muttered. "He pulled seniority on me and told me I had to do this."  
  
Draco laid his hand on her back and rubbed it soothingly. "Let me help," he suggested. "I'll even let you pay me back," he joked as he shot her a grin that was filled with mischief. "I can take payment in the form of kisses." He puckered his lips and leaned forward.  
  
Giggling, Hermione shoved his shoulder so that his face was an arms-length away from hers. "Draco!" she yelped when he moved closer and pecked her cheek softly. "Stop it!"  
  
\---  
  
It was wrong. Hermione knew the firm's policy and she was well-aware of the consequences. She couldn't get involved with a co-worker, especially one who was just starting out. Draco had been working for Goldstein Zabini for three months, and for two of those months he'd been flirting and teasing her nonstop. In the beginning, it was easy to fend him off. The memories of him torturing her during Hogwarts were fresh in her mind, but now they were disappearing and being replaced by all the good ones.  
  
She had spent the last two weeks dodging him, figuring he would give up, but Draco finally cornered her in the file room one day after most of the paralegals and associates left. "Why are you avoiding me?" he asked.  
  
Hermione let out a sigh. "I've not avoiding you," she muttered. "We just need some distance from each other. Things are getting complicated."  
  
"What's so complicated?" Draco demanded to know. He came up close to her and ran a hand down her spine. "Is it our relationship?"  
  
"You and I both know it's that," she said angrily. "I don't break the rules, Draco – neither should you. Let's end this stupid infatuation before either of us gets in trouble."  
  
He shook his head. "No." Then, he tugged her head up and kissed her hard. After a few seconds of shock, Hermione slowly responded and started to kiss him back before quickly regaining her senses and pulled away.  
  
"We can't do this," she breathed.  
  
"Yes, we can," he said and pulled her in for another kiss.  
  
\---  
  
One afternoon, as soon as he came into the office from a meeting with a client, Draco headed for Hermione's office, gripping two cups of tea and a tin of cookies.  
  
He leaned against the doorway and shot her his patented smirk as he stuck his head inside her door and called, "Hi honey. I'm home." He held up the drinks and food. "I also come bearing gifts."  
  
Hermione let out a laugh. "You're so bad," she said. "What do you want?"  
  
"Oh, you know me too well. Want to help me do some research?"  
  
She just shook her head. Sometimes, when she was working with Draco, she felt like she was with Harry and Ron again. He was just as dependent on her as they used to be. "Alright, let's go."  
  
They worked efficiently, searching through the many files for the first twenty or so minutes, until Draco started to run his hand up her thigh. She shoved his hand away, but didn't say anything as he let it creep back.  
  
"Draco," Hermione moaned as he started to place tiny kisses down her neck. "We're in the office!"  
  
"So?" he asked her. "We're alone in the file room, and there's a 'do not enter' sign on the door. We won't get caught."  
  
"No, no, no," she said, as she pushed on his chest. "Save it for after work. Speaking of which, want to have dinner tonight?"  
  
"Sure," he replied, smiling. "Maybe you can come back to my flat after."  
  
"Keep dreaming." She grinned at him and gently poked him in the chest. "However, if you behave, you might be surprised."  
  
Draco blatantly stared as Hermione walked away, her hips swaying enticingly. It was really ironic – before he started working here, they had hated each other's guts but here they were, discreetly in a causal relationship.  
  
\---  
  
"Draco's doing well," Blaise remarked to Marcus and Anthony on Draco's six-month anniversary of working at the firm. "He's made some good progress. Maybe we can give him a case. He seems to have good insight."  
  
"No!" Marcus looked at Blaise in shock. "We can't do that," he said more quietly. "He's not ready yet."  
  
Blaise frowned. "What's going on?" he asked. "Are you not ready to let him fly?"  
  
"Well…" Marcus cringed. "I don't know," he added weakly. "He can't go on his own though."  
  
"Okay, you are hiding something," Blaise deduced from Marcus' bullshit answer. "I know something's going on, and that it has to do with Draco, so either tell me or I will find out. If you tell me, it'll be a lot better for you."  
  
"Draco never went to law school," Marcus finally whispered. "I swear – I didn't mean to do it but–"  
  
"He's not a lawyer?" Blaise screamed at Marcus. "What the bloody hell were you thinking?" Anthony just stood off to the side, shaking his head. Blaise was the partner who did the yelling and lecturing. Anthony preferred to watch and observe.  
  
Marcus groaned. "Okay, he's not exactly a lawyer," he said quietly. "But, it's not that big a deal!"  
  
Blaise just glared at Marcus, who glared right back at him. "I don't make mistakes, Blaise," he continued cockily. "Trust me; nobody will find out."  
  
"Are you even listening to yourself right now?" Blaise asked him. "Secrets never stay hidden, Marcus, especially since the both of you have become quite the team. People have always known about your skills so he's going to stand out more. When he gets caught, both of you are going to pay the price."  
  
Marcus just took out a few folded papers from his suit, tossed them on Blaise's desk, and gestured towards them without saying a word. Then, he proceeded to stomp out of the room like an angry five-year-old. Anthony picked up the papers and scanned them quickly. "He has a transcript at Brookston," he muttered. "How the hell did Flint pull that off?"  
  
\----  
  
After the meeting, Marcus paced angrily around his office, while Parvati silently poured him a glass of Firewhiskey. He shouldn't have hired Draco. In the beginning, he thought that nobody would care about a measly associate, but of course, he was proven wrong. It had taken Blaise less than three months to find out that something wasn't adding up; then again, Marcus had been the one to tell him about Draco's real credentials. What would happen if someone else were to pick up on those little details? Draco was too good to be true – he was catching onto information that even some of the partners were missing. When he was partnered with Granger, his work was of much higher quality than anything Marcus would've done at Draco's age.  
  
"Why'd you tell him?" Parvati asked him quietly. "I thought you weren't going to say anything until he actually started looking."  
  
"He told me he was going to look and I didn't want to risk it," Marcus admitted. "I’ve said and done a lot of things I’m not proud of, but I’ve never blatantly lied to Blaise and Goldstein. Besides, the only reason I actually have a job is because of them. If someone were to find out about Draco, all of our jobs would be at risk. They deserve to know about that risk."  
  
"Are they going to fire him?"  
  
"I seriously hope not," he muttered. "He needs this job just as much as I've come to rely on him."  
  
\---  
  
"Malfoy," one of the other associates, Nathan, called, "Goldstein wants to see you in his office."  
  
Draco frowned. "Did he say why?"  
  
Nathan shook his head. "No."  
  
Draco made his way across the associate's area and walked past Marcus' office towards Anthony Goldstein's. He saw the other man standing outside his office. "Hi," he mumbled, staring down at his shoes.  _What does the boss want with me?_  he wondered. Was he about to get fired?  
  
Anthony held open the door so that Draco could walk through, but didn’t utter a single word. After closing the door, he took a seat in the chair behind his large desk, pointing to a chair across from him, as he leaned back in his own. "Take a seat."  
  
"Goldstein. Long time, no see." Draco glanced around the office. "You've done well for yourself."  
  
"I have. Now, let's not waste time making small talk. You know why you're here, right?"  
  
"I think I know."  
  
"Well, let me make it clear to you. You and Marcus have been playing a very dangerous game, Malfoy, and the firm could be caught in the crossfire. Why shouldn't I fire you?"  
  
"I'm good at what I do," Draco responded cockily. "Marcus' billable hours are at an all-time high and it's mostly due to me. We're winning these trials together against the Wizengamot, and everything's going well. Do you really want to lose that?"  
  
"Prove to me that you're worth it. You're walking on a thin rope and you can fall off anytime."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere," Draco said stubbornly. "I'm not going to get caught. Only you, Parvati, Marcus, and Blaise know about this. Why would any of you tell?"  
  
Anthony just shook his head. "We'll revisit this issue later," he said. "You can leave."  
  
Once he left the room, Draco ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Everything had actually seemed to be going well for once, but now, it was falling apart.  
  
\---  
Draco tried his hardest not to stare at Hermione as she bit down on the pencil and curled her hair around her finger. She was the picture of innocence, and, even though Draco was attracted to her, he didn't want to be in a committed relationship with Hermione Granger. He wasn't interested in anything more than a casual fling. And, Hermionewas an innocent party; she didn't deserve to be trapped in the mess that he had created for himself, and, above all, there was the fact that she didn't know about his shady past. Considering it was in most papers, she probably knew about his stint in Azkaban but she didn't know about Brookston.  
  
_"You and Hermione are getting very friendly," Marcus noticed as he and Draco walked back from the library.  
  
"Sure," Draco said. "Hermione's a great person. She's been helping me out a lot."  
  
"I don't want anything going on between the two of you," the older man said sternly.  
  
Draco nodded in assent. "Don't worry," he muttered, "I doubt she'd be into inter-office relationships anyway."_  
  
He didn't want to hurt her, but he also didn't want to end their relationship. Even though she didn't know the entire truth about how he got to Goldstein Zabini, she had slowly accepted him and had been willing to put the past in the past. Rarely were people able to do that.  
  
"Hey,” she said, snapping her fingers in front of his face. "Are you still here?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," he muttered. "Just a little distracted."  
  
"Why's that?" she asked coyly.  
  
"Don't start what you can't finish."  
  
She rubbed his arm softly. "I'm sorry," she muttered, "but you know that we can't do anything at work."  
  
"I know," Draco said, sighing. "Have dinner with me tonight?" He gripped her hands in his own and placed a light kiss on her fingers. "We never get any time for ourselves outside of work."  
  
"Okay," Hermione slowly agreed. " Why don't you come over to my flat, instead? We'll have dinner there."  
  
Draco smiled, pulled Hermione closer to him, and laid a kiss on her lips. "Thank you," he said quietly, "for giving me a chance."  
  
"I believe in second chances," she replied, a small grin playing on her face," and you certainly deserve one."  
  
\---  
  
The named partners knew everything, Draco realized, when he came home to his flat that night. If everything worked out, he wouldn't be sent to Azkaban. He hoped that he would still be able to work at Goldstein Zabini, but that was just wishful thinking. No person in their right mind would want to keep a fraud working for them. His life was precariously balanced and it was about to tip over the edge.  
  
When Draco heard the three quick raps on the door, he pulled it open to reveal the exact person he expected to find on the other side – Marcus. "What do you want?" he asked rudely.  
  
"Are you drinking again?" Marcus asked as he walked into the flat, not bothering to wait for an invitation. "I thought you were turning a new leaf."  
  
"I'm not an alcoholic," Draco muttered. "I never was. I'm just stressed out. I needed something to relax me."  
  
"Is it because of what happened with Anthony?" the other man asked quietly.  
  
"No."  
  
Marcus sighed, picking up the bottle of whiskey and pouring a bit into a glass before downing it quickly. "So, what's the problem?"  
  
"Hemione," Draco answered shortly. "I want to tell her the truth."  
  
"You can't!" Marcus exclaimed.  
  
"Will it really be that bad if I tell her?"  
  
Marcus rolled his eyes. "Are you an idiot? She could tell, and we all know that Granger's a kiss-up. If anyone finds out, they could go the Wizengamot, and we'd be finished. If she tells McLaggen, this will all be over. Both of us will be on the streets. McLaggen hates me because I've always been promoted before him, and he hates you too, just because you're Draco Malfoy."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind," Draco replied shortly. This scene feels incomplete.  
  
\---  
  
"Hey," Draco said, as he rapped on Hermione's door. "Do you have a second?" He knew that Marcus would be angry, but he couldn't keep this secret for much longer. For the past couple of days, he thought about just not telling her but he knew that in the even that he got fired, this kind of news would be better coming from him.  
  
"Sure, but you have to make it quick," she replied, inviting him in with a wave of her hand.  
  
"I need to tell you something," Draco said quietly.  
  
"Can it wait?" she grumbled, as she attempted to read over a section of antiquated case law. "I'm in the middle of something right now."  
  
"It can't wait," he said adamantly. "I have to tell you now, or else I don't think I can muster up the courage again."  
  
Hermione looked up, hearing the fear in his voice. "What's going on?" she asked, searching his face for some clue as to what he was talking about. "Are you okay?"  
  
He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not a lawyer," he muttered in a rush. "Marcus and I have been lying this whole time."  
  
Before she knew it, her palm had connected with his face, leaving a bright red spot against his pale skin. "You arsehole!" she cried and lifted her hand again, but, this time, he grabbed it. She wrenched it away from his grip and rushed to throw her things into her bag. "I can't believe you would do that," she said sadly, before hurrying out of the library.  
  
Hermione could see Draco running after her, so she stepped into the one place he wouldn't follow– the ladies restroom. She angrily washed her hands with scalding hot water to distract herself as she tried not to cry her eyes out in front of the mirror. She couldn't believe it. She thought that Draco had changed, but he was still the slimy, rotten, cheating scum he was when they were younger.  
  
She didn't want to believe that he would lie to everyone, but, deep down, she knew that Draco was capable of things like that. Suddenly, things were adding up. Draco hadn't even known how to file a motion. Every real lawyer knew how to do that, especially the ones who came from Brookston. She should've seen the signs before, but other distractions had blinded her. After all, he had an in with Marcus, who had a knack for picking out talented graduates and promoting them. Draco had learned everything so quickly though. Even though there were gaps in his knowledge (gaps she should have picked up on), once someone explained a concept to him, he would grasp it immediately. He seemed like a great first-year associate. Of course, there was the fact that she was attracted to him. Unlike his younger years, he was charming, sweet, and, overall, a perfect lawyer. There was no reason to doubt him.  
  
\---  
  
Draco finally got the guts to go see Hermione three days after she had slapped him, but when he entered her office, Hermione threw a file at his head and all the papers fell on the floor around him. Seeing that he wasn't fazed by it, she picked up a paperweight and pitched it right at his chest; thankfully, he was able to catch it before crossing the office to stand in front of her.  
  
"What the hell is your problem?" he asked, grabbing her hands and gripping them tightly, preventing her from throwing anything else at him.  
  
"You're a lying bastard," she yelled, "and an arsehole. I can't believe that you're pretending to be a lawyer! That's illegal, Draco."  
  
"I know," he muttered. "But, why are you overreacting so much? Nobody was ever supposed to find out."  
  
"Of course," she said, shooting him a glare. "You weren't ever planning on telling me, were you? Why did you even tell me? Did you have a moment of guilt that wasn't there before?"  
  
"Yes!" he yelled back. "I felt guilty, since I didn't want to hide this from you, Hermione!" He let out a deep breath. "I didn't have a choice," he finally said. "It wasn't my decision to hide this."  
  
She just shook her head. "Forget it, Draco. I don't want to hear your stupid excuses."  
  
The following afternoon, Draco was back in Hermione's office holding a box of Honeyduke's finest chocolate and a vase filled with flowers. It was a cliché peace offering, but it would have to do.  
  
"What are you even doing here?" she spat when she looked up to see him. "Just get out!"  
  
"Just hear me out," he pleaded. "I'm sorry that I lied to you. It wasn't my fault – as I said before, I had no other choice."  
  
"You're not really improving things," she pointed out, "by saying that it wasn't your fault. You always had a choice, Draco! You could've told me! You just proved that you don’t trust me. I know we're not seriously dating, but how is any relationship supposed to last if we don't have faith in each other?"  
  
"I know that you're angry," he began, "but let me make it up to you. I promise that I won't hide things from you again." Hermione just shook her head sadly. "I need some time, Draco. You owe me that."  
  
"Okay," he replied quietly. "You deserve time to think things through. When you're ready, let me know."  
  
She nodded. "I will."  
  
Draco tried to wrap his arms around her but pulled away at the last second. She glanced at him one more time with pursed lips and returned to the briefs.  
  
After a moment, he walked out of her office, his sprits low. He was a fool to think that she'd take him back immediately without putting up a fight.  
  
\---  
  
Hermione glanced at the blond standing on her doorstep a month later and sighed. "Why are you here?" she asked wearily. "You haven’t bothered to even say a word to me in the last month; what do you want now?"  
  
Draco shook his head. "You were the one who wanted a break." he said angrily. "I stayed away from you, just like you asked me to. So, don't turn this on me!"  
  
"Can you not scream?" she asked. "Just come in. We'll talk inside." She turned and walked back into her flat, and Draco followed her inside. "Why did you suddenly want to see me?" she wondered.  
  
"I missed you," he admitted. "I waited a month for you to come and tell me that you forgave me, but you never did." He held out his arms. "Here I am, asking for your forgiveness yet again."  
  
She let out a sigh. She wanted to forgive him, but the Gryffindor in her was telling her not to even bother with the likes of Draco Malfoy. "We need to take things slow," she finally told him after a moment of internal debate. "Slower than last time. Less physical things and more verbal communication would be good. "  
  
"I agree, and I think I should tell Marcus about us."  
  
"Are you sure you want to do that? Why don't we just be friends for a while?"  
  
Draco shook his head. "Hermione. I really like you. I enjoyed dating you and if we gave it a chance, maybe it could become more serious. Even though we still would need to be inconspicuous at work, I don't want to hide this from anyone, including Marcus. He and Parvati are extremely perceptive. Together, they would probably figure it out anyway."  
  
Hermione just shook her head. Of course, she didn't want him to tell. After all, it would be her arse on the line if they got caught. She was a junior partner! Blaise Zabini and Anthony Goldstein were very cooperative people, but they would never support a relationship between co-workers.  
  
"I can't, Draco," she said with a sigh. "I'm sorry. That's just too much to risk."  
  
Draco was smart enough to know when he had lost, so he simply shrugged and said, "All right. If that's what you want. He gestured toward the door. "I'll see myself out."  
  
He pulled open the door, but at the last minute, he turned around. "I won't bother you anymore, but if you ever want to pursue this, you know where to find me."  
  
Hermione swallowed down the lump that was growing in her throat and simply nodded. When the door had shut behind him, she hastily wiped away her tears and sank down into the sofa. She didn't want to lose him, but at the same time she didn’t want any ties with a fraud. It was for the best, she reminded herself as she slowly made her way into the kitchen to put the kettle on the stove. It was all for the best.


End file.
